more on change anti-terror law

[kurdeng at aps.nl]

By Suna Erdem

ANKARA, Turkey (Reuter) - Turkish Prime Minister Ciller's prospective
coalition agreed Friday to change a controversial anti-terror law, a move
that could lead to the European Union's approval of a customs pact with
Turkey.

"We have decided to amend article 8 of the anti-terrorism law according to
article 10 of the European Human Rights Convention," Coskun Kirca, foreign
minister of Ciller's outgoing minority government, told reporters.

Article 10 of the European Human Rights Convention protects the right to
freedom of expression. Kirca, quoted by the semi-official Anatolian news
agency, gave no details of how the Turkish law would be changed to suit it.

Kirca, speaking after a meeting of officials from Ciller's conservative
True Path Party (DYP) and Republican Peoples Party (CHP), said the two
parties aimed to make progress on human rights until elections were held
"as early as possible." He said the new coalition, set up to go to early
elections, would pledge to enhance the wages of civil servants and
pensioners in 1995 with extra perks, solve a month-old public workers'
strike, and speed up corruption inspections.

General polls are scheduled for next October at the latest.

The CHP, a center-left party, has strongly supported wider democratisation
-- including changes to Article 8 of Turkey's anti-terror law -- and left
the last coalition with Ciller last month partly because of disagreements
over security issues.

But analysts say the party looks better placed now to push its democratic
agenda as Ciller failed in her month-long search to find new partners in
other parties and this week asked the social democrats to return to a
coalition.

Kirca said once the coalition is formed, parliament would primarily deal
with harmonisation laws for customs union with the European union, and
amend legislation according to changes made in July to Turkey's 1982
military-era constitution.

Scores of people have been jailed under article 8 of Turkey's anti-terror
law for writings and speeches mainly related to Ankara's treatment of an
11-year Kurdish insurgency in the southeast, in which more than 18,000
people have died.

(2)

ANKARA, Oct 20 (Reuter) - Turkish Prime Minister Tansu Ciller's
conservative party and her coalition partners met on Friday to set the
terms of their agreement and discuss how to change a tough anti-terror law
condemned by the West.

"A commission from the DYP (True Path Party) and the CHP (Republican
People's Party) is meeting over the coalition protocol," Adnan Keskin, a
deputy chairman for the social democrat CHP, told Reuters. "During the
talks they will look at article 8," he said.

Article 8 of Turkey's anti-terror law has jailed scores for writings and
speeches mainly related to Ankara's dealings with an 11-year Kurdish
insurgency in the southeast.

The European Parliament wants the article scrapped or amended in exchange
for approving a cherished customs union deal between Ankara and the
European Union by the end of the year.

CHP leader Deniz Baykal is in Brussels lobbying senior Euro-MPs to support
Ankara's cause.

"Baykal will return to Ankara this evening and should meet Ciller tomorrow
about the coalition," Keskin said.

One month after the last alliance between the two parties fell apart and
Ciller looked elsewhere for coalition partners, Turkey's first woman leader
appears to be on the verge of striking a fresh agreement with the social
democrats.

Senior officials from the two parties agreed on Thursday to work for early
general elections under a modified electoral system, in which MPs will be
chosen on the basis of proportional representation within electoral
districts. The system will retain a 10 percent threshold parties must pass
on a national level before they can be represented in parliament.

Work is also ongoing to lower the voting age to 18 from 21, and give
expatriate Turks and prisoners the vote.

Ciller had resisted early polls, saying this would hurt key aims like the
customs union, but relented when her 10-day minority government lost a
Sunday confidence vote in parliament.

Ciller's DYP and two other parties this week submitted bills to parliament
for elections to be held on December 24. The date is due to be set early
next week, but some officials who oversee elections have expressed doubt
about the December date, citing a lack of time to amend the election laws.

They say January may be a more reasonable target. General elections are
scheduled for next October at the latest.

(3)

BRUSSELS, Oct 20 (Reuter) - Turkish officials in Brussels said on Friday a
senior member of Prime Minister Tansu Ciller's prospective new coalition
government had persuaded MEPs to approve the EU-Turkey customs union in
December.

Deniz Baykal, the head of the centre-left CHP, told the leaders of the
European Parliament's political groups on Thursday that the coalition, set
up to go to elections in January, was as committed to reform as the
previous Ciller government, one official told Reuters.

He said Baykal had "found the right words to convince" the reticent
European Socialist Party that the coalition had every intention of carrying
out the constitutional reforms and human rights improvements which MEPs are
demanding as a condition for approving the customs union.

But Tony Robinson, the spokesman of the Socialist Party, which had invited
Baykal to Brussels, told Reuters it was wrong to think the party would
"jump in with a decision at this stage." He said Baykal had received a
genuinely warm reception from the parliament but Turkey could not expect
there to be a clear cut decision in December.

"There will be a debate in December but a customs union is one step short
of EU membership and we will take that vote very seriously," he said. If
necessary, the planned start of the customs union could be put back. He
added, "This won't be the first time the EU has stopped the clock at one
minute to midnight."

The Turkish official said Baykal had explained that there was unfortunately
little chance of the desired reforms taking effect before January because
of the punishing domestic election timetable.

He urged them to go ahead and approve the customs union on schedule in
December so that it can come into effect on January 1, 1996.

Robinson said the Socialists' view would depend to a great extent on what
happened in Turkey in the very near future. The newly formed coalition
expects to seek a vote of confidence from the parliament in Ankara by
November 5.

Turkish officials in Brussels said the new Turkish government's priority
task would be to pass a new electoral law and get its budget proposals
through parliament.

This would make it well-nigh impossible to carry out the reforms demanded
by the European Parliament before the crucial date of November 23, when
Euro-MPs from the foreign affairs committee are due to decide whether or
not to recommend the customs union to the full assembly.

Among other things, MEPs want Ankara to change a controversial anti-terror
law to include protection of the right to freedom of expression.


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 * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0)